Portable

My five-year old cousin from the countryside visited Mumbai for the first time. He had never seen high-rise buildings and box-like apartments before. While he hankered to catch sight of an actor or celebrity somewhere, and loved the sea, he was not impressed by homes. ‘What’ll you do, if there are more guests? Where are … Continue reading Portable

Slavery

“Make the Nation Read” is a great mission statement for a startup, that publishes free book summaries and promises to keep services free forever. My old handset dies a natural death after living a long, fulfilled life of seven years, and I need to download several apps again, in the new monster that enslaves me, … Continue reading Slavery

Strategic

The rat ran and he chased. He came out in the lawn, and looked for the rat between the shrubs. It probably disappeared in a rat hole somewhere. He walked back home to find that six other rats of different sizes were scurrying around the kitchen. They scooted away on seeing him, but with food … Continue reading Strategic

Paranoia

A non-believer in the metaphysical realm, he is compelled by his daughter to take the meditation course. She finds him derisive at day-end, “The teacher asked me to imagine myself digging deep in the soil, plug underground and get charged. Will she make me fly to compensate in the next session?” “Dad, just keep doing … Continue reading Paranoia

Other worlds

The hope of a new world makes me want to leap… There are black holes in between. Black holes are also worlds discovered by a few, but no one comes back to talk about it. https://only100words.xyz/2021/04/22/three-line-tales-273/

Grinning away to victory

The Managing Director called for an urgent meeting of all designers in the company. “Hereafter, all baby clothes will have pockets and will be in all possible colours - not majorly pink and blue. Change the store layouts to make them more inclusive.” “Is there a new directive on Diversity and Inclusion?” “No. I’m bringing … Continue reading Grinning away to victory

Synchronicity

His eyes turn red, and muscles tense up - the onset of another manic episode. The synchronicity is uncanny - it happens after he worships the picture of his dead parents.. It is time to leave … history and characters in it.

OBITUARY

Very few people know that the much-eulogised greenery and ambient temperatures of this small town are a gift from my father. I take pride in being born to this humble auto-rickshaw driver who carried seeds with him, and planted some on the roadside, whenever he did not have a passenger to ferry. When I lost … Continue reading OBITUARY

Mossy stones

I take a walk down memory lane, and stop by the moss-covered milestones on the way. Why did they matter so much at that point of time, and why did they lose relevance later on? It was the dream of a child holding a balloon in hand, and wanting to fly, not knowing the competition … Continue reading Mossy stones

Wind under wings

I’m grateful I can walk and run, but I wish I could fly. Mobility and speed matter in the race of life, but more so the perspectives. I see the world moving past me, but in the opposite direction, as I move in high gear.  Then, I move my sights to the ones moving alongside … Continue reading Wind under wings